If I Stay
by Tori Stone
Summary: "Maybe you can afford to wait. Maybe for you there's a tomorrow. Maybe for you there's one thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten. So much time you can waste it. But for some of us there's only today. And the truth is, you never really know." - HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Danny Phantom or _Before I Fall _by Lauren Oliver.**

**Enjoy (:**

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><p><strong>If I Stay<strong>

**Chapter One**

**January 5, 2012**

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><p><em>Maybe you can afford to wait. Maybe for you there's a tomorrow. Maybe for you there's one thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten, so much time you can bathe in it, roll around in it, let it slide like coins through your fingers. So much time you can waste it.<em>

_But for some of us there's only today. And the truth is, you never really know._

_- _Lauren Oliver_, Before I Fall_

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><p>There's an old rumor flying around that says that when you're in the midst of a near-death experience, your whole life flashes before your eyes. Like you actually relive your entire life in those few seconds when the outcome of the situation hangs uncertainly in the air. You close your eyes and flash back to that day in fifth grade when your skirt was tucked into your underwear on the playground, that one pointless algebra class you took in eighth grade, the first time the school bully preyed on you, your first C. And then you flash to the first time you ever rode a bike, the day you and your best friend laughed so hard you peed a little, your first kiss (even if it was with that one jerk), the first time you made a perfect score on a test in calculus. You relive it all, the good and the bad. According to the rumor.<p>

That's not what happened to Sam Manson.

No, when it happened to her, she wasn't thinking about her best friends or her awkward middle school phaze or even her family. She wasn't still seething with anger at Danny, wasn't thinking about how she hadn't said goodbye to her parents, hadn't told her grandmother that she loved her...

She thought of Jackie Hargis.

Specifically, that time in the third grade when her class was playing tag at recess. They were splitting into two teams - that was how they played at Amity Park Elementary School, an odd mix between tag and capture-the-other-team's-players - when Paulina announced that she didn't want Jackie Hargis on her team.

"She's too fat," She sneered. "She won't be able to run fast enough. You'll catch her in, like, two seconds."

Little Dash laughed appreciatively behind Paulina. It was the first time Paulina had ever been so mean to anyone. Jackie turned as red as a tomato and ran away crying.

The saddest part was that Jackie wasn't fat to begin with. She just had a little lingering baby fat around her face and on her stomach. She shed that quickly, though, growing a good two-and-a-half feet by high school. Ironically, she was the captain of the girl's track team, the first junior ever to hold the position. She was even kind of friends with Paulina - they would wave to each other in the halls and attend the same parties. Sam wondered if Jackie ever mentioned that day to Paulina, or if she even remembered it.

It was one of those memories Sam didn't even know she had. She had enough time to relive it, to smell the dust and feel the heat of the sun and the sweat trickling down her back and to hear the laughter, Dash's laughter, rising up and swelling into a sharp, keening scream in her ears.

And then there was nothing.

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><p><strong>Stay tuned (:<strong>

**- Tori**


	2. Chapter 2

**Mkay, let me explain the inspiration behind this story, since I failed to do so in the first chapter (:**

**I've been reading a book called _Before I Fall _by Lauren Oliver. Excellent book. I highly recommend it. **

**Anyways.**

**I was inspired to write this (: mostly because the main character of _BIF_ is named Sam. Hah.**

**If any of y'all have read it, these first two chapters bear a striking resemblence to the first few pages of that book. I admit it. But I promise, I have my own story line coming out of this. Lauren's just helping me set my story up :D**

**...okay, are any of you guys getting the little ads at the top of the screen that say things like "One click for instant Roman orgy!"? I'm like, EW, GET AWAY FROM ME YOU NASTY. I DON'T WANNA SEE ANY OF THAT.**

**PERVY AD DESIGNERS.**

**I just got finished playing a game called fugitive, and I am EXHAUSTED OUT OF MY MIND. If y'all don't know what that game is, tell me in the reviews, and I'll describe it in the next chapter. I'm too tiward now.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom, _Before I Fall,_ or anything else you might recognize in this chapter.**

**Enjoy (:**

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><p><strong>If I Stay<strong>

**Chapter Two**

**January 6, 2012**

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><p>Some people say that on the day you die, you'll know. You'll wake up feeling strange, seeing shadows where there shouldn't be any, seeing things in a whole new perspective. You'll be at peace with yourself and with your surroundings, knowing that you're already apart of a world beyond this, that you're mearly wrapping up the loose ends of your life until the clock runs out and you're gone forever.<p>

On the day of the accident, Sam woke up exactly thirteen minutes and fifty-seven seconds before Tucker was supposed to pick her up. She tore out of bed and threw her clothes on. She prayed at least a little bit of makeup was rolling around on the bottom of her backpack so that she could at least make herself look slightly presentable for school that day. She was thinking about her movie night with Danny that night, the one where Tucker would be busy doing a group project and wouldn't be able to make it. She was psyching her self up for telling Danny exactly how she felt about him, because tonight was as good a night as any and keeping it a secret from him was exhausting. She didn't keep secrets from Danny.

Well...that wasn't entirely true. Danny didn't know about her quiet struggle with cutting herself. She'd be damned if he ever figured it out. She was sure he would go ballistic. He'd probably want to check her into rehab.

She was hoping for the best, but she had prepared herself for what she thought would be the worst.

She had no idea.

"Ding dong," Tucker called from the street. It was his new way of honking, because Sam's neighbors had made it abundantly clear the week before that if he continued to honk at 7:30 AM they would tow his car to a vacant lot three towns over.

"Coming, I'm coming," Sam called as she tripped out the front door. She was yanking a boot on with one hand, trying to manouver her backpack higher up on her arm with her elbow, and untangling her keys from her headphones, which were spilling out of her pockets. All while holding a piece of toast between her teeth. She gasped when the chilly January air made contact with the bare skin of her upper arms, and accidentally inhaled a few crumbs from her toast. She coughed and stamped her foot on the ground, effectively mashing her foot the rest of the way into her boot.

"Morning, sexy," Tucker said teasingly when she finally got in the car. She spared him a look of disdain before yanking down the visor and dabbing on her makeup. "You look well-rested."

"I just woke up," She informed him, sleep still evident in her voice. "My alarm clock didn't go off again."

"Bummer."

"Mhm,"

"You nervous about tonight?"

Sam's hand jerked up in suprise, effectively smearing mascera into her eye. _"Ow!"_ She cried, desperately wanting to rub at her eye but not wanting to smudge the wet mascera all over her face. Tucker quickly dug up a napkin and thrust it into her hands, which she used to forcefully dab at her eye. "Ow," She repeated, examining her now bloodshot eye in the visor mirror.

"Well don't have a spaz attack, it was just a question! Sheesh," Tucker chortled, glancing at her.

"You're such an ass," She said, though she smiled and shoved him playfully. "And yes. I am. Very."

"Don't be. He likes you too, trust me," Tucker rolled his eyes. "He never shuts up about you."

"Really?" Her voice was hushed, as if she hardly dared to believe what Tucker was saying was true.

"Really, really," Tucker chuckled. They were in front of Danny's house by then. Sam could see the boy moving around through his window, most likely gathering up his belongings that he would need for school. "Looks like you're not the only one who slept in late," Tucker said, glancing up at Danny's window as well. He honked twice.

Danny's window was flung open. They could see him from the waist up, leaning out his window toward them. "Five minutes!" He called.

"We don't _have_ five minutes, sleeping beauty!" Tucker retorted, but Danny's window was already closed. "Asshole'll probably be another twenty," he added to Sam.

Danny didn't take twenty minutes. He took about seven. He would have taken eight, but Tucker had begun to creep along down the street with the back door of his car flung open. "Chop chop!" He screamed. Sam laughed when Danny leapt into the car, shouting explitives at Tucker all the way.

"You're such a dick!" Danny huffed when he straightened up and clicked his seatbelt on. He ducked down to check himself in the rearview mirror, combing his fingers through his unruly black hair, before smiling at Sam. "Morning, sunshine!" He said cheerfully, ruffling her hair.

Sam made a noise of disgust even though her heart leapt into her throat. "More like morning darkness," She grumbled, straightening her hair out again.

Danny laughed.

"Save it for tonight, lovebirds." Tucker muttered under his breath.

"We're not lovebirds," Danny murmured, the phrase lacking its' usual conviction. Sam stared out the window, trying to get the heated blush to retreat from her face and neck before either of them could see.

Tucker whipped into the senior parking lot, searching for a spot right on the back row that juniors were permitted to park in. Sam clutched the door handle with one hand and the armrest with the other as Tucker pealed into the spot, cutting Dash off just before he claimed the spot as his own. "Jesus, Tuck, you're like a moving death machine," Sam breathed, relief evident in her voice.

"Oh, _chill_. You _love_ my driving." Tucker said, ducking down in his seat until Dash had moved on.

It wasn't like Sam had much of a choice in drivers; Tucker was the oldest of the three of them, therefore the first to get his lisence. Danny would get his in two months, Sam in four. It seemed like an eternity for her, waiting four months to get her hands on her lisence.

Her day at school was normal, though it felt much faster than usual. Perhaps it was because her mind could focus on nothing but the raven-haired boy with whom she would be spending her evening, but it seemed like in every class she entered, she would sit for a moment just to be ushered back out again for her next class. Before she knew it, the final bell was ringing and she was meeting Danny in the parking lot.

Tucker would not be able to give them a ride home like he usually could, so Danny and Sam were left to walk back to Danny's house after school. They were pleasent, normal, themselves on the walk home, but Sam could feel the tension bubbling just beneath the surface. She wondered if he could feel it too.

"So...what movie do you want to watch?" Danny asked. His voice sounded forced, nervous even. Sam blushed.

"I don't care," She murmured, her eyes on her shoes. He was silent for a moment.

"Well, let's go see what we have," He offered. She nodded and followed him into the living room.

The Fentons had a fairly-large-sized movie collection. It had nothing on Sam's, of course, but it was still impressive. Sam let her eyes wander over the movie titles, effectively silencing her nervous thoughts about what she would be doing that night. At least, for a few minutes.

"See anything you like?" Danny asked. He was standing behind her, his mouth inches from her ear. She could feel his breath washing over her skin.

_You,_ she wanted to say. "Uh, yeah. I haven't seen Horrible Bosses yet. Is it any good?"

"It's hilarious!" He said enthusiastically. He pulled the case from the stack and popped it open. "I'll put it in and get popcorn and everything, just go wait on the couch,"

"Yes sir," Sam grinned. She did as she was told, settling on the couch and pulling a blanket over her legs. It was cold outside, afterall. Blankets were allowed. Sharing blankets was allowed, too. She folded her hands in her lap and waited, trying not to feel too impatient with Danny for taking so long with the popcorn. She was too nervous to eat any of it, anyways.

"Ready?" He asked when he had flung himself on the couch beside her.

"Ready," She said. He offered her the popcorn bowl. She declined.

He shrugged. "More for me!" He said through a mouthfull of buttery popcorn. She closed her eyes and shook her head. He really was a goofball.

About twenty minutes into the movie, Danny slid under the blanket with Sam. He set the popcorn bown on the table in front of them and leaned back, trying to get comfortable beside her. He ended up closing the distance between them, sitting so close to her that their thighs touched. It was hard for Sam to focus.

"Wasn't that hilarious?" Danny asked as the credits of Zombieland rolled. It was the third movie they had sat through, moving closer and closer all the while.

"Yeah, hilarous," Sam said faintly. He was wearing cologne. Intoxicating cologne.

"Well, it's...man, it's only ten. What time do you have to be home?" Danny asked, sitting up and stretching.

"Ten thirty," Sam said, her voice still quiet.

"You okay?" He asked, his eyes flashing with concern.

"Um...no, actually," She gulped. _Now or never_. "I...I need to tell you something,"

"Okay, shoot," He turned his body to face hers, his eyes meeting hers levelly.

"Danny...I...I've had this...secret...for a really long time now...years...and I've kept it from you...but...but I think, tonight...I'm...I'm finally gonna tell you...Danny...I -"

She was cut off by Danny's cell phone ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out quickly, his eyes darting over the screen. "Valerie," He murmured in confusion. "Hang on one second, Sam," He said apologetically.

"Yeah, okay," She said faintly. He had already answered his phone. She leaned back, trying to quiet her thundering heart. It's okay. You're almost there. Breathe. Keep breathing. Don't stop breathing.

"Yeah...okay, I'll be there in just a second." He hung up. "That was Val...apparently Cujo's attacking the powerplant again. She thinks I can tame him or something. I've gotta go. Will you be okay walking home by yourself?"

"Oh," She said. "Uh, yeah, but Danny -"

"I'm really sorry about this, I don't know why she called me."

"Danny -"

"But hey, at least it gives me a second to play with Cujo again! I always wanted a dog -"

"Danny!" Sam cried. "I was in the middle of telling you something!"

He blinked. "Oh. Right. Sorry. You were saying you liked me?"

Sam froze. He slapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes growing wide.

_He knew?_

_He's known?_

_When did he find out?_

_Has he been leading me on this whole time?_

"Sam..."

_What the hell is going on?_

_Why the hell wouldn't he say something?_

_He just wanted me to humiliate myself._

"I'm so sorry. I...I shouldn't have...I mean, I didn't..."

Sam recoiled from his hand, which he lifted to touch her. "Don't," She gasped, her voice ragged. "Don't touch me,"

"Sam, please, I'm sorry,"

"I have to go."

"Sam, no, please!"

She stormed out of his house, not bothering to turn when she heard him calling her name from the front porch of his house. She stomped down the street, half-expecting him to come chasing after her.

But he didn't. Of course he didn't. Valerie needed him. Cujo needed him.

_He chose his ex-girlfriend and a dog over me. A ghost-hunting ex-girlfriend and a ghost dog._

_What the hell is his problem?_

Sam was still seething when she rounded a corner. She was so distracted with her anger that she almost didn't notice a girl standing perfectly still just a little further up the street.

Almost.

The girl was wearing a white tank top and black shorts. Her blonde hair hung in ringlets framing her face. Her eyes were the clearest blue Sam had ever seen. Sam recognized her immediately. Her name was Megan Ryan, but everyone called her Meg. Sam sat next to her in several classes in school.

Meg had the most curious expression on her face. Sam stopped walking and stared, all anger forgotten. She had seen that expression before.

Meg's face was illuminated by headlights of passing cars. Meg was staring down at the street with that familiar expression on her face. "Meg...?" Sam called hesitantly.

Meg looked up at her.

And in that instant, Sam knew what would happen before it even happened.

She had seen the lights growing brighter in Meg's face. She had seen Meg's eyes slide to something over Sam's shoulder, something that was quickly approaching. Her arms were rising, her knees were bending.

Sam was sprinting toward her. The wind was rushing in her ears. She held her hands before her like Frankenstein, barreling directly toward Meg, who was in the street by that time.

Her hands made contact with Meg's chest. She looked down and saw Meg sprawled out on the ground on the other side of the street, glaring up at Sam, her mouth open. Probably to ask what the hell Sam's problem was.

And then there was hot, searing pain, wind in her face, gravity flipping the earth around. Jackie Hargis' face swam out of the darkness. Little Dash's laughter filled the air.

The sky was clear that night. Sam could see the stars. Bits of them were covered by a pair of Meg's curious clear-blue eyes and a pair of familiar forest green eyes, hidden behind familiar wire glasses. But they vanished when the sky knelt to the earth and carried Sam away.

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><p>Danny landed outside of his house, feeling rather rotten. The night had not gone anything like what he had planned. He knew Sam was planning on telling him that she had feelings for him, and he was planning on suprising her by interrupting her mid-confession with a kiss. Instead he had to go and open his stupid fat mouth.<p>

_Oh well. Nothing that can't be fixed with time_, he told himself.

He went inside and flopped down on the couch, trying to drown his misery with mindless television. He flipped past a cooking channel zooming in on what appeared to be a pot of boiling chicken, a gameshow, a news report of some sort of car accident, and a soap opera. _Blah, blah, blah, boring_.

He heard his parents come in about twenty minutes later. They were moving slowly, something out of the ordinary. They sounded like they were arguing quietly. Also out of the ordinary.

"...has a right to know!" Maddie stopped short, catching sight of her son on the couch. "Danny! We thought you'd be in bed by now!"

"No, I can't sleep," He shrugged, turning his attention back to the television.

"Um...Danny?" Maddie asked timidly. "Where's Sam?"

Danny winced. "She left a while ago...we got in a fight."

Maddie covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, Danny," She sounded like she was going to cry. "How bad was it?"

"She's not gonna talk to me for at least a week," Danny said. He flipped the TV off when he saw real tears welling in his mother's eyes. "Mom, what's going on?"

"Oh...oh sweetheart...I...there's something you need to know," She perched on the coffee table before Danny and took both of his hands in hers. "Sweetheart...there was an accident earlier,"

"What do you mean?"

"A...a girl got hit by a car trying to cross the street,"

Danny stared, not comprehending what his mother was trying to tell him.

"The girl that got hit...was Sam," Her mother finished in a whisper.

Danny felt all the feeling in his body receed to his mind. He was numb. His thoughts were reeling. He was absolutely shocked.

"But that's not all," Tears were streaming down her face in earnest now. "The driver that hit her...was...Tucker,"

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><p><strong>OH NOSE.<strong>

**Tucker and his crazy driving.**

**He'll kill someone someday.**

**;D**

**- Tori**


	3. Chapter 3

**Heyyy (:**

**So this is chapter three. I'm sorry it's so much shorter than the second chapter, but this part of the story kind of moves fast. We're not even into the main meat of this fic yet. We'll be arriving there shortly (:**

**Okay, I'm trying to see something. If you are reading this, when you finish the story, please leave a review and write "heads will roll" (sans quotations). You don't even have to write anything else. Just "heads will roll."**

**I'm curious to see how many people actually read the A/N's. If you actually _want _to review this chapter, feel free to. Just write "heads will roll" somewhere in there so that I know you read my A/N.**

**Interesting experiment.**

**I was at Victoria's Secret earlier with my friend. I made the mistake of wearing a relatively low-cut shirt. The lady that was helping my friend was trying to describe what a good fit looks like to other people. She goes, "Your friend here has a good fit on!" AND PULLED MY SHIRT DOWN. EXPOSING ME. TO THE WHOLE G-D STORE.**

**I was like "Woah, not on the first date!"**

**Heh.**

**Never going in there again.**

**That is my pointless story for the day.**

**Heads will roll. K? K.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom. I think that's the only thing in this chapter. But if there's anything else in there that I obviously didn't create, I don't own it.**

**BLANKET DISCLAIMER. BOOM.**

**Enjoy (:**

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><p><strong>If I Stay<strong>

**Chapter Three**

**January 8. 2012**

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><p>When the ambulance arrived on the scene, they were forced to make a path through a gathering group of neighbors who had heard the commotion and had come out to see what was going on. EMTs found Sam lying on her back, spread-eagled, with Tucker kneeling over her. His knees rested on either side of her waist, his hands on either side of her head. He was screaming into her unresponsive face, begging her to wake up, apologizing profusely. They had to drag him off of her.<p>

"NO!" He screamed, kicking and lurching manically as they dragged him away. "_NO!_ SHE'S MY SISTER! She's my sister...!" When he could no longer see her, he sagged against the EMT's arms and cried. Someone in the crowd brought him a blanket. He took it blindly. The EMTs left him sitting on the ground. His sobs grew more violent when he glanced at his car and saw a Sam-sized dent in the hood of his car.

_Where did she even come from?_ He thought angrily. _One second the road was clear, and the next..._ He shivered. He could still feel the lurch his car gave, hear the crunch of Sam's bones conforming to the shape of his car.

_Jesus._

A fresh wave of despair washed over him when he thought of Danny. Of all the nights Tucker could have hit her with his car, it just had to be the night they finally stopped being stupid and got together. Of all the horrid luck.

Fear bubbled in the pit of his stomach, completely seperate from the possibility of losing Sam. What was Danny going to do when he found out? Tucker virtually ran Sam down with his car on her way home from Danny's house. They had only been dating for a few hours. Fate really was cruel to Danny. To all of them, really. But mostly to Danny.

Suddenly, Tucker lurched to his hands and knees and vomited. It was too much, _way_ too much for him to handle. He killed his best girl friend. His best guy friend's brand new girlfriend.

_She's not dead yet,_ he reminded himself firmly as he crawled away from the puddle of sick. _She's not dead._

_Yet._

_What the hell was she doing in the middle of the street, anyways? She doesn't need to cross any street to get home from Danny's house. She wouldn't jump in front of a speeding car. She would have recognized my car, even at that distance. She wouldn't purposely attempt to kill herself..._

_Would she?_

"You're the driver?" An EMT had approached him. She looked at him with calm, careful eyes that reflected the exact opposite of the turmoil brewing in Tucker's stomach at that moment.

"Y-yeah," He gasped. He could still taste the vomit in his mouth.

"Here," She handed him a bottle of water, which he took and washed his mouth out with. "I need you to tell me what happened."

"I was coming home from a group project," Tucker said faintly. "I was just driving. The street was empty one second, and then the next, she was there. I didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late."

"You said she's your sister?"

"Well, technically, no. She's...she's my...best friend," He paused, feeling a solid lump rising in his throat. "We've been best friends since preschool..."

"So you know her well?"

"Like the back of my hand."

"I imagine you know where she was earlier,"

"At our other best friend's house. They...they were finally gonna admit how in love with each other they were...I was gonna call her as soon as I got home to ask how it went..." His eyes drifted over to the huddle of EMTs that blocked her from his vision. One of her boots was laying abandoned a few feet away. He felt the urge to be sick again seeing it.

"She was walking home, we can assume?"

"Yeah, her curfew's at 10:30, same as Danny's,"

"So she was crossing the street and just...didn't see you?"

"That's what I'm confused about," Tucker said, pushing his guilt aside for a moment and focusing on the facts. "You don't have to cross this street to get to her house. If you keep going up this sidewalk, you turn right and you're on her street. I don't know what she was doing in the middle of the road,"

"Did she...do you think that maybe...she was trying to kill herself?" The EMT's eyes were gentle. Tucker clenched his jaw.

"No." He said firmly. "I know my Sam. She wouldn't do that."

The EMT eyed him a moment later, before nodding. "So you got out of your car. What was she doing?"

"She was...she was on her back, she was kind of...jerking around. She was gasping, like she couldn't get any air. She was in pain, a _lot _of pain. She was trying to tell me something, but she passed out before she could get the words out," Tucker felt as if he was a mile away, listening to himself through a long tube.

"I'd say you have a pretty solid case."

"C-case?" Tucker asked. His voice rose several octaves. "What do you mean, case?"

"You'll be charged for hitting her," She sounded sad. "Probably involuntary manslaughter,"

Tucker turned, knelt, and vomited again. _So, not only did I possibly accidentally _kill_ my best friend, but now I'm going to _jail_ for it?_ "This _cannot_ be happening," He moaned as he wiped at his mouth. "This is some kind of nightmare, this can't be happening..."

"Tucker!" Tucker's head snapped up. Danny was there, finally, fighting through the crowd. He ducked under the caution tape that someone had strung up and ran directly toward Tucker.

"Danny, I'm so sorry, it was an accident, I swear! I didn't even see her, she wasn't in the road until like two seconds before my car hit her, I didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late!" He spoke quickly, not bothering to pause for air. "Danny, please, I'm so sorry..."

"Tucker...it's okay, I know it was an accident." To his enormous relief and suprise, Danny hugged Tucker hard.

"I hit her with my car," Tucker moaned quietly into Danny's ear. "Jesus Christ, I _hit_ her with my _car_..."

"It was an accident," Danny said. His eyes were on the EMTs over Tucker's shoulder. "Is...is that...?"

Tucker pulled away and followed Danny's eyes. "Yeah," He said hoarsely. They stood and stared for a moment. "Yeah," Tucker repeated, as if testing that his voice still worked and he was still alive.

"Was there anyone else here?" Danny asked, tearing his eyes away from the EMTs. Tucker noticed his eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were flushed. Crying and running. Exactly what he would have done if he had been at home and heard what happened to her.

"There...there was someone else, but..." Tucker scanned the crowd. "She's gone now,"

"Did you know her?"

"She looked kind of familiar. Danny," Tucker said quietly. "I'm gonna go to jail for this,"

"What?" Danny half-shouted, aware that they were being watched. "What do you mean?"

"Involuntary manslaughter," Tucker said hoarsely.

"But that's...that's only if she's..." Danny looked back to the EMTs in desperation. They were pushing a gurney now, hustling the form strapped to it into the back of an ambulance. Just before the back doors slammed closed and the lights flashed on, Danny caught a glimpse of her shining black hair, matted with blood. The sirens started, loud and clear, and the tires squealed as the ambulance sped off toward the hospital. "They wouldn't be in such a rush if she was..."

"Right," Tucker said. "Danny...listen, I am really, really sorry...you guys have only been together for a few hours at most..."

"We're not together," Danny's voice was dead, lifeless. "I accidentally told her I knew what she was planning and she left. If I hadn't opened my big, fat, _stupid_ mouth, she wouldn't have left. She wouldn't have been here. She would be safe right now," He turned his face away from Tucker to hide his sudden tears. "This is just as much my fault as it is yours,"

"We don't deserve her," Tucker said. He looked down at his shoes and kicked aimlessly. "All she ever does is think about us, what's best for us, how to protect us from Dash best. And we go and treat her like this," He gestured to their surroundings. Danny glanced around, no longer caring who saw him crying. He recognized some of the kids in the crowd as his classmates. He even spotted Dash and Paulina toward the back. They looked almost half as shocked as Danny felt. It even looked like Paulina had been crying a little.

He wondered how Sam would feel to know that the person she hated most from their high school was crying for her.

"Shit," Tucker muttered. Sam's parents had just arrived. Danny felt the urge to balk. They looked half-livid, half-destroyed. Jeremy's eyes landed on the boys.

"_You!_" He shouted. He stalked past the EMTs who had been talking to him and marched right up to the boys. "You _killed_ my little girl!"

"I didn't mean to! It was an accident, I swear!"

"I told her! I said, _'Sammy, stay away from those boys!'_ And what did she say?_ 'Oh, dad, they would_ never _even lift a_ finger_ to hurt me!_'" Tucker was crying again. His hands were shaking. "And _you!_" He rounded on Danny. "I bet you were the one who made her walk home, weren't you?"

"I -"

"You made her walk home alone and she was hit by a car! This is _your_ fault!"

"Mr. Manson!" An EMT intervened, placing himself between Jeremy and the boys. "Shouting and blaming won't do anything to help your daughter right now,"

"Stay away from her! Do you hear me? You _stay_ away from my daughter! If I catch you anywhere _near_ her, I will call the _police!_"

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><p><strong>Mr. Manson. Drama queen.<strong>

**...king.**

**Whatever.**

**Heads will roll. DON'T YOU FORGET IT.**

**Seriously, though. Please. It's all I'm asking for.**

**I wrote this whole story for you. It's the least you can do in return.**

**Stay tuned!**

**:D**

**- Tori**


	4. Chapter 4

**MY COMPUTER HAD A VIRUS SO IT WAS LOCKED UP IN A COMPUTER FIX-IT STORE FOR A WEEK D':**

**But I got it back yesterday and wrote this last night XD**

**SO I'M BACK :D**

**Sorry for the wait. Heh.**

**HEY if you guys started reading my story called _Sirens Suck_ a while back (like before my accident...yeah that long ago) I just updated it last night. I is so sorry for the long wait on that one. No excuses on my part. Sorry D':**

**Umm...yeah. That's all.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom ;soghboiug;l**

**Chapter Four!**

**Enjoy (:**

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><p><strong>If I Stay<strong>

**Chapter Four**

**January 27, 2012**

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><p>Danny had never been particularly fond of hospitals. Of course, his slight dislike of the institution paled in comparison to Tucker's phobia, but still. They creeped him out. And his little episode with Spectra way back when had not particularly aided in his perception of the place.<p>

Invisibly hovering outside of the Amity Park Hospital, he found himself in a bit of an internal struggle. Tucker had refused to come with him, his loathing of the place combined with his soul-devouring guilt driving him to shuffle home and collapse into bed. Danny was alone.

He envied Tucker at that moment. Tucker could just drop into unconsciousness, escape the nightmare of his reality for a few hours. Though, now that he was thinking about it, he would be willing to bet all the money in his possession that tonight would play a starring role in Tucker's nightmares for the rest of his life.

It wasn't that he didn't want to see her. He did. Desperately. But something was holding him back. He closed his eyes, the echo of Mr. Manson's shouts still ringing in his ears:

_"Stay away from her! Do you hear me? You stay away from my daughter! If I catch you anywhere near her, I will call the police!"_

An empty threat. Especially since it had been posed to Danny Phantom. He knew how easily he could slide through the walls, sit with her, be with her all night, and Mr. Manson would never know. Never have to know.

So that wasn't what was holding him back. He drifted closer to the windows, peering uncertainly through a few. He had a feeling that the Mansons would insist on their daughter having a room with a view. The view, of course, was more for them than for her.

He found her in the sixth window he looked through. He hesitated, hovering outside of the tinted glass, unsure if he was prepared to see her the way she would be. Injured. Broken. Gone.

But he had been exposed to that before. Injury was no stranger to Danny in his line of work. He had been hurt plenty of times before. He'd seen Tucker and Sam injured before. Tucker once broke his arm trying to jump out of a tree while running from Skulker, and Sam had badly twisted her ankle sprinting down a concrete staircase away from Ember another time. It wasn't the injuries that held him at bay.

He slid silently through the window into the room. The Mansons were no where to be seen. Sam was alone.

Anger made his blood boil for a moment. She was all alone. What if she woke up alone in that dark hospital room? She'd be scared. His anger dissapated, replaced by a sharp pang in his chest at the thought of her being scared. He stole across the room and sat beside her, taking her right hand in both of his. His hands swallowed hers easily; he wondered why he had never noticed how tiny her hands were before. His eyes raked over her body. She was heavily bandadged, most of her left side firmly cased in casts. The strips of flesh he could see were angry and red. Scrapes from the concrete flecked across her face. Tubes wound into her nose and down her throat, helping her breathe. She was in a coma. Danny had seen it before, seen people in comas. His grandfather was in a coma for two weeks before he died.

Suddenly, he was unable to look at her. He stared blindly at an IV bag steadily dripping into a tube in her arm, blinking fiercely at the tears that suddenly sprung up in his eyes. He was tired. So tired.

He wasn't sure exactly when he fell asleep, but suddenly he was slammed with the awareness that he was dreaming. He was in a hallway at the school. There was no one there. His footsteps echoed eerily off the tile walls as he walked.

"You killed her." Ember's voice was hard from his left. Danny froze and whirled around, spotting her lounging on a locker several feet behind him.

"You're the reason she's dead." Technus' voice came from his right.

"The great Danny Phantom killed his best friend." Skulker's voice came from his left.

"How's it feel, having her blood on your hands?" Spectra was on his right.

"I know I relish in it," Dan hissed from his left.

Suddenly the hall was full of ghosts, pressing down on him, accusing him of killing Sam. Danny was sinking, drowning in the ghosts, unable to fight back. He screamed for help, begged them to stop, struggled for air...

"You were never one for originality, were you, Fenton?"

At the sound of Sam's voice, the ghosts retreated. Danny cowered on the floor, his arms over his head, trying to stop the tears from streaming down his face. He heard the familiar click of Sam's boots on the tile, coming closer with each step. She stopped about five feet away from him and tapped her toe on the ground.

He hardly dared to look up at her. Her voice was louder and harsher than normal. Her words were louder and harsher than usual. He lifted his head slowly, holding his breath in anticipation.

She looked perfect, the way she did at school that day. Her hands were on her hips. Her face was contorted with rage. Danny quailed beneath her glare.

"Sam..." He gasped. He stood and stepped toward her, his arms outstretched to embrace her.

"Don't touch me." She snarled through gritted teeth. He froze. Her voice dripped with poison.

She was beyond infuriated. She was livid. He swallowed.

"Sam, I'm sorry..." He hesitated when she rolled her eyes. "Please, Sam, I never meant for this to happen..."

"And that's why I will _never_ forgive you." She said shortly. She turned and walked away, her short, shining black hair catching the light the way Danny always admired as she left.

"Wait, Sam, no! Come back!" He struggled to his feet and chased after her. She whirled around and weaved away from his hand as he reached to grab her shoulder.

"Didn't I tell you not to touch me?" She shrieked.

"Sorry, sorry!" He said, folding his hands behind his back. "Please, Sam, you have to believe me when I say I'm sorry -"

"I don't doubt that you're sorry." She said harshly. "I also don't doubt that you're sorry for the wrong reasons."

"Wrong reasons?"

"Why are you sorry?"

"I'm sorry that you got hit by a car -"

"Exactly." She turned and stormed away from him. He struggled to keep up with her; for a girl so small, she certainly moved fast.

"What? What, is it illegal for me to be sorry that you got hurt and it's my fault?" He huffed, out of air.

She stopped short and whirled around. He nearly crashed into her. She lifted a finger and pointed at him, the tip of her index finger inches from his chest. "It _is_ your fault that I'm hurt. That I'm _here_. _Trapped_ here. There's no question about that. But that's _not_ why you should be apologizing to me."

"Why should I be apologizing to you?" His voice was hushed, his eyes darting between hers and her finger, which was dangerously close to stabbing him through the heart.

"I'm not giving you the answers this time, Fenton. Figure it out." She spat. And with that, she was gone, along with the rest of his surroundings. He felt a shard of ice lodge into his heart as he swam through darkness.

He woke with a start, lurching forward in his seat. He still had a hold on Sam's hand. He suddenly felt sick touching her, remembering her fury from his dream. He felt ashamed just sitting beside her.

_She couldn't even say my first name,_ he thought sadly as he flew away from the hospital.

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><p><strong>*tear*<strong>

**Poor Fenton.**

**I mean Danny. Poor Danny.**

**Mkay new challange! If you're reading this post:**

**BUC-EE'S.**

**That's all (:**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this! :D**

**- Tori**


	5. Chapter 5

**OH. HEY.**

**Derp herp FLERP!**

**I'm so hyper. I spent the majority of my day sitting on the floor of my friend's girlfriend's bedroom, blowing up 200+ balloons. He's asking her to the valentine's dance at my school. IT'S SO CUTE.**

**I'M SO DIZZY.**

**Alrighty SO this chapter is kind of intense. What happens toward the end is intense, anyways. XD Um kind of gruesome...just a warning.**

**And if you read my A/N's, you'll be prepared.**

**For those of you who reviewed with Buc-ee's, I love you. I love Buc-ee's. Best gas station EVER.**

**WOAH I'M WEARING A BUC-EE'S T-SHIRT RIGHT NOW HOW TRIPPY IS THATT?**

**Hehehe (:**

**I don't own Danny Phantom or anything else in this chapter. I don't rememberr )':**

**Enjoy! (:**

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><p><strong>New AN: Was anyone else having issues seeing this chapter? I posted it last night and went to check it this morning...and the website said that I was using an outdated URL. WTF. So I'm reposting it in hopes that it fixes itself.**

**Guh.**

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><p><strong>If I Stay<strong>

**Chapter 5**

**January 30, 2012**

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><p>"They set my court date for the eighth," Tucker said offhandedly. He was sitting in the cafeteria with Danny, neither of them eating. Tucker stabbed at his lumpy mashed potatoes while Danny stared without seeing at his turkey sandwich. He could feel Sam's absence beside him like a knife in his side. It physically hurt to look at her empty seat.<p>

"There's gotta be something we can do to prove it wasn't your fault..." Danny murmured, shoving his sandwich away.

"As far as the court's concerned, it was my fault. Turns out, she was in a crosswalk when...when it happened," Tucker swallowed. He still couldn't say that he had hit her.

"There's something that happened. Something we missed. She wasn't in the middle of the street for no reason."

"I've been thinking about it...you said she was really upset when she left your house, right?" Danny nodded. "Well...I mean, it may be possible that she just wasn't thinking clearly...maybe it _wasn't_ an accident..."

"Shut up. Don't talk about her like that. She wouldn't _ever_ do that to us or herself."

"I just think that we should consider it..."

"It won't help you in court." Danny said shortly. He stood abruptly. "I'm going to get some air."

"Danny -"

"She wouldn't try to kill herself. No matter how upset she was."

Before Tucker could respond, Danny turned on his heal and marched away. He was in no mood to discuss the possibility of pissing Sam off so royally that she would dive in front of a speeding car. She wouldn't. Not ever.

Right?

He had not gone back to see her since the night of the dream. Four days he had gone without laying eyes on her. He wondered about her, prayed for her, but didn't dare visit her. He was terrified of her.

_It was just a dream_, he told himself repeatedly. _It was only a dream. She wasn't really there. She's in a coma, not roaming around the halls of the high school. It was a horrible dream that I had because I'm stressed out and scared to death of losing her. That's all._

He couldn't even convince himself.

Despite the fear of her anger and rejection, Danny was growing to be desperate to see her again. He needed to see her like he needed air to breathe. Bright sunlight snapped him out of his thoughts; he had wandered directly out of the front door of the building. No one had seen him or tried to stop him. He glanced over his shoulder. He was alone.

He flashed to Phantom and kicked off toward the hospital. Tucker would figure out where he had gone, and would cover for him. Tucker still had no desire to visit Sam, claiming that he did not want to disrespect Mr. Manson's orders. Danny knew better, but played along with Tucker's lie. It was the least Danny could do for him.

The Mansons were absent again when Danny phazed into the room. The door was firmly shut, but Danny felt a bit jumpier this time, as it was still daylight out. Anyone could walk in at any time and find him there. He forced invisibility on himself, trusting his keen sense of hearing to warn him when someone was approaching.

Sam looked much the same as she did the night she was committed to the hospital. He could see faint red marks on her cheeks that looked suspiciously like the lipstick that usually resides on Mrs. Manson's lips. He gently wiped the smudges away with his thumb. Sam hated it when her mother kissed her.

He sat heavily in the chair beside her bed, the same chair he sat in the night she was hit. He gingerly took her right hand in his and raised it to his lips. He closed his eyes as the warmth of her skin radiated onto his face.

"I'm so sorry," He whispered into her skin. His eyes were still closed. "Sam, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Shut up."

His eyes snapped open. His surroundings had changed. He was kneeling in the center of a grassy clearing, beside a small trickling stream. Sam stood several yards off, on the other side of the stream. She looked exactly the way she had looked in his first dream, down to the facial expression.

"Did you hear me? I told you to shut up." She paced a bit closer, her eyes never leaving his.

"Am I dreaming?" He asked.

"No. This is real life. You flew here. Remember?" She rolled her eyes. "Of _course_ this is a dream, you dumbass."

He winced. "Sorry,"

"Will you give that word a _rest?_" Her voice was strained. "You're sorry! I get it! _Shut up!_"

He stood. He felt defensive. He couldn't help it. "What is your _problem?_"

She stared at him disbelievingly. "Did you _really_ just ask me that?"

He winced again. "That was a stupid question...I'm sor-"

"Say it _one_ more time. _See_ what happens."

He held his hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. I get it. I won't say it anymore."

"Good."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

"Right...why are we here?"

"That is an excellent question. Why am I here? This is your dream. Why do you keep calling me back here?"

"Calling you back...are you dead?"

For the first time since the accident, the anger in her face faultered. For just a split second, Danny saw her fear and confusion. "I don't know," She admitted in a murmur. And then her anger was back.

"Why am I the only one that's seeing you?"

"I don't know. You're half-dead. Maybe this has something to do with that. We have a lot more in common than I'd like to admit. Guess I can add this to the list." She kicked at the ground angrily. "It's my turn to ask questions."

Danny swallowed. "Okay," He said uncertainly.

"Why am I here?" Her eyes were blazing with fury.

"I don't -"

"Don't think about it. Say the first friggin' thing that pops into your head. _Why_ am I here?"

"I needed to see you."

"Why?"

"I feel guilty. I feel terrible."

"_Why?_"

"It's my fault."

She stopped, her eyes on his. She moved to the edge of the stream, the toes of her boots getting wet from the water washing over them. "Why do you need to see me like this?" She gestured to herself.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Why do I look like this?"

"I don't know what you mean...that's how you always look,"

"Are you kidding me? No, it isn't." She glanced down at herself. "For one thing, my skirt is about two inches longer. My shirt doesn't cut this low, and my hair isn't this long. My boots are definitely lower cut than this. And I don't wear fishnet stockings. Is this how you see me? I'm dressed like a friggin' _whore!_"

He faultered. "I don't see anything different..."

She made a noise of disbelief. "This is how I normally look." The changes she mentioned took effect. Danny blinked. "What? Do I look different?" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "You don't see me, Danny. You see what you want to see. You don't see _me_. You don't see _anyone_, for that matter."

"I don't -"

"You're about to see me. You want to see what you did to me that night? Not physically. I mean emotionally. When you screwed me over and humiliated me. You destroyed me." A dark black stain was spreading over her chest. Red blood was dripping down her arms. Her face twisted in pain for a moment. Her body spasmed.

"Stop!" He shouted. He reeled backwards, staring in horror as she was destroyed. "Stop, please!"

"What's wrong, Danny? Can't face the mess you made?" Her voice seemed to be emitting from the air around him. She was on the ground, bent over herself, clawing at her face. She writhed in pain, crying out and screaming as some unseen force tore her apart.

"No! Stop it, stop! Please, God, _stop!_"

He lurched forward. He was back in the hospital room, clutching Sam's hand like a lifeline. Footsteps were approaching in the hallway; he heard the Manson's voices drifting under the door. He stood quickly and flashed into invisibility just as the door opened. Jeremy and Pamela shuffled in, scarcely sparing a glance at Sam. They appeared to be returning from lunch. Jeremy snatched the TV remote from Sam's bedside table, dropped into a cushy armchair on the opposite side of the bed from where Danny had been perched, and flipped on a football game. Pamela stood in the corner and extracted her cell phone from her purse. She immediately buried herself in the screen.

Danny had to work hard to keep himself from shouting at them. They were being awful parents. Really, awful. Sam had told them multiple times that she didn't really have parents, but this was just ridiculous. She was in a coma. They acted like she was just on vacation. It was the image of Sam writhing on the ground that kept him from saying something.

He flew back to the high school in a daze. It was fifth period by then. He texted Tucker to meet him out in the courtyard. He needed to tell someone about this.

Tucker was leaning against the wall with his hands shoved deep in his pockets when Danny arrived. He squinted up at him through the sunlight as Danny landed.

"What's up?" Tucker asked, sheilding his eyes from the sun.

"I need to tell you something. It's gonna sound crazy. But it's true."

"Okay, shoot."

Danny hesitated. "I...I can see Sam in my dreams."

Tucker appeared unsuprised. "I can too. I've been dreaming about her every night since...you know."

"No...I mean I literally see Sam in my dreams. It's her. The real her. Not dream Sam. Real Sam. She's in my dreams. She talks to me."

Tucker blinked. "What does she say?"

"She's...well, she's extremely pissed off at me. I don't know why -"

"I think I do."

"No, I mean I tried to apologize for her getting hit and she told me she would never forgive me because I was apologizing for the wrong reasons. What does that even mean?"

Tucker shrugged. "I dunno. So it's really her?"

"I think so. She's...man, she's pissed, Tucker."

"At me?"

"I don't think so. She hasn't mentioned you at all."

"Do you think she knows it was me?"

"I don't know,"

They were silent for a moment. "You know what this means, don't you?" Tucker said quietly.

"What?"

"She's...dead."

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><p><strong>BEFORE YOU REVIEW WITH DEATH THREATS:<strong>

**Go read my profile.**

**And CHILL YOUR BALLS.**

**Or as my best friend used to say, "Get off my nuts!"**

**Ahaha. Love him.**

**Thanks for reading (:**

**- Tori**


	6. Chapter 6

**Howdy hey.**

**A;hgioyqwklng.**

**This chapter is SUPER different from the other ones.**

**Mostly because a character that I think deserved WAYYY more screen time plays a starring role in this chapter.**

**Seriously. WAY more time.**

**H'anyways.**

**I feel like I'm probably the only one in the entire universe that ISN'T watching the Super Bowl right now. Bleck.**

**Everyone on my Twitter feed is going nuts right now. And I'm like, BOOM. NEW CHAPTER. SUCK IT.**

**I've had writer's block.**

**I'm sorry for the wait.**

**HOPE I DIDN'T DISAPPOINT :D**

**I don't own Danny Phantom, the Super Bowl, or anything else you could ever possibly recognize in this story except the story line. That's all mines.**

**Phalskdg;aksea;glk.**

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><p><strong>If I Stay<strong>

**Chapter Six**

**February 5, 2012**

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><p><em>"She's dead."<em>

_No...no..._

_"She's dead. You killed her."_

_Sam...no..._

_"She killed herself."_

_Please...oh God, please...no..._

_"Sam is dead."_

"No...mmph..." Something heavy fell across Danny's face. He panicked, gasping for air, flailing desperately, as angry voices assaulted his mind. He swam through darkness, unable to see anything, save the image of Sam on the ground, writhing in pain, drenched in her own blood.

_"She's dead!"_

"_No!_" His eyelids finally, mercifully, snapped open. The heavy weight that had landed on his face and constricted his breathing turned out to be his arm. He lay there, drenched in a cold sweat, panting as if he had run for miles. His room was dark and cold. His clock shouted through the darkness that the time was 3:47 AM.

A whisper of blue mist escaped his parted lips. He closed his eyes, almost thankful for the distraction from his most recent nightmare. Soundlessly, he rose from his bed, seized a Fenton Thermos, and slipped through the walls.

The night air was cool, soothing on his burning skin. His jumpsuit felt tight, as if it were attempting to squeeze the life out of his body. He adjusted it awkwardly, glancing around nervously for the threat. Half of him, the reasonable half, hoped for someone like the Box Ghost; easy to capture, but easy to vent his pent up aggression on. But the other half, the half consumed by mind-numbing grief, prayed for Skulker or Vlad. Someone that would beat him into a pulp, to make the emotional pain that had been eating him alive tangible. So that he would experience just a small portion of the pain Sam must have felt that night...

He blinked rapidly and shook his head. There was no use thinking those thoughts. Getting hurt wouldn't bring Sam back. Nothing could bring Sam back...

"Woah. You don't look so good, dipstick,"

Danny whirled around and spotted Ember leaning lazily against the second story of his house. He gritted his teeth as a wave of pleasure over took him at the sight of her. She was surveying him as if he were a brand new addition to her favorite art museum; a brand new addition that she did not particularly care for.

"Cut the crap, Ember. I don't have time for this." He snapped.

"Hot date with the gloomy chick?" She smirked.

His brain disconnected. His vision went red at the carelessness with which Ember tossed the mention of Sam around. He growled, low and deep, before sending a flaming ball of ectoplasm directly at her head. She ducked easily, but the arrogant smirk on her face vanished. It was replaced by a look of mixed shock and rage.

"Woah, _chill!_" She shouted, holding her hands up in defense. "Don't you usually _go_ for the cheesy pre-battle banter?"

"I _told_ you, I _don't_ have _time for this!_" He spat through gritted teeth. He sent three more balls of ectoplasm at Ember before she finally turned and shot up the street. Danny followed, sending balls of ectoplasm careening toward her as he went. He could hear her shouting obscenities at him, but the rage in his heart was coursing through his veins, pounding in his ears, making it impossible to understand whatever it was she was screaming.

He finally hit her when she soared over the park. He clipped her arm, sending her crashing into a tree. He waited at the base while she crashed through the branches, landing a solid punch in her abdomen when she finally fell to the ground.

"_Dude!_" She wheezed, clutching her stomach and falling into the trunk of the tree. "What the _hell!_"

He growled in response, cocking his fist back to take another swing. The anger and guilt that had been building in his chest was finally finding a release, and it would not stop easily. Wildly, in the back of his mind, he wondered what would happen to a ghost if it 'died,' but he was far from caring at that point. He shouted in pain when his fist made contact with the rough bark of the tree; Ember had swerved out of the line of fire.

When he pulled his fist back, he could not quite process the green ectoplasm that oozed down his fingers. Every single one of his knuckles split upon impact. And just like that, his anger was gone, replaced by a grief so powerful it shocked his very core. He dropped to his knees, buried his face in his hands, and sobbed. Distantly, he heard the grass beneath Ember's boots rustling as she readjusted herself, and he braced himself for her powerful blows.

So naturally, he was shocked when he felt a soft, almost gentle touch across his shoulders. Blindly, he looked up, and saw that Ember had her arm around his shoulders. She was comforting him. "Shh, it's okay," She whispered.

_No, it's not,_ he wanted to say. _It's not okay, and it never will be okay. She's gone._

He cried until he no longer had tears to spare. Ember stayed with him until he leaned back, blinking blindly through his swollen eyelids. He glanced at her thankfully, finding her eyes, which were usually blazing with rage, to be soft and comforting. He suddenly understood how Skulker could have fallen for her. Her eyes, when they looked like that, could melt even the hardest heart.

"What's got you so pissed, kid?" She murmured softly, settling in front of him and crossing her legs. Danny mirrored her movements, sitting so that their knees touched.

"It's...um..." He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice stop sounding like he was drowning. He stopped, unable to form the words.

"Was it what I said about the gloomy chick?" Danny clenched his fists, feeling another brief, but powerful surge of rage at her words. "Woah, woah, sorry. Calm down. What about her?"

"She...she got...she was...car accident," He finished in a whisper. He felt Ember lean back. He glanced up at her, seeing her eyes fixated on the leafy foliage above their heads. Her face was unreadable.

"She was in a car accident?" Danny nodded silently. "Was her car totalled?" Danny shook his head. "Was her car damaged at all?" He shook his head. "Was she in a car at _all?_" Again, he shook his head. "She...she was _walking?_" He nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on the grass between his legs. "Oh,"

It was quiet, her _'Oh.'_ Her voice was laced with some emotion Danny had never heard from another ghost; it was almost as if she was in pain. It echoed excrutiating pain. He looked up at her, meeting her gaze. She sensed the question in his face.

"When I was twenty," She started, dropping her gaze to her lap. "I...I died. The exact way that...well, that we just talked about. I felt all of it. It was...oh, God. You can't even begin to imagine. It was horrible. But the worst part was, it was a hit-and-run. I was with all of my friends. I walked out in the street because my friend had tossed my bag out there - trying to be funny - and I didn't see the truck. I didn't even know what was happening until I was on my back. My best friend was there next to me, screaming for help. I couldn't even understand half of what he was saying. The rest of my friends were chasing the truck and calling the cops. I died before they even got there," Her voice broke. She paused, sucking in deep breaths, before meeting Danny's gaze. "I died before I could even really live."

Danny stared at her in wonder. He had not ever really stopped to consider that each of his enemies had been human before, that they had all died somehow, some way. It was as if he was really seeing Ember for the first time. It made him wonder how the others had died; Skulker probably during some kind of hunting trip, Technus had probably been electrocuted. He shivered, shaking the thoughts off.

"They think she did it on purpose," He said quietly, watching her face closely.

"No. Uh-uh. Not her." Ember said confidently. "I've been around her enough to know that she's not that gloomy. It's all a front. She's _not_ that type."

Danny nodded, feeling slightly better. If anyone would know, it would be Ember. After all, Ember was the only other goth in his life.

"I mean, I know she cuts herself and everything, but I -"

"_What?_" Danny shouted. He leapt to his feet, backing away from Ember as if she had just revealed a rattlesnake from behind her back. "_What?_"

"I said, I know she cuts herself -"

"_That!_ That right there!" He retreated another step as she rose to her feet, dusting grass off her leather pants. "What do you mean, she _cuts_ herself?"

"I've seen the scars," Ember shrugged.

"_Scars?_" Danny's voice had jumped several octaves.

"Yeah, on her arm. Like these," Ember held her arm out to a shaft of moonlight, revealing several thin strips of white against her cream-colored skin. "I cut before I died. Turns out those scars don't ever leave, even after you die," Her voice faded as her eyes slid out of focus.

"Sam _doesn't_ have these scars. I would have seen them. I would have noticed." He said firmly. He nodded as if it would seal his conviction even further.

"Um..._yeah_, she does. All up her right arm. She covers them with make-up, it's typical for cutters. Most people don't notice them. I...well, I only noticed because I know the signs. I was there once," She shrugged. "Believe me, they're there."

"I...I don't believe you," He gasped. _It can't be true...if she really was...doing that to herself, then...then she_ was _in the street on purpose...she_ was _trying to kill herself...because of_ me... "Oh_ God!_" He choked.

Ember's brows knit together in concern. "Look, I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. If I knew you didn't know, I wouldn't have said anything..."

"_Why wouldn't you say something?_" Danny asked, his voice ragged with emotion. "Why wouldn't you _tell_ me? Shit, she could have _killed_ herself!"

"I told you, she's not that type -"

"I don't _care_ what type she is! It's dangerous, it's destructive behavior! It's _suicidal!_"

"Not always! Some people use it as a release -"

"Ember, _shut the hell up!_ She's my_ best friend!_ I love her _so friggin much_, I do _everything_ I can to protect her, to keep her from getting hurt, but this whole time she's been hurting _herself!_ It makes everything I do for her completely _pointless!_ God," He seized fistfulls of hair and tugged, rage and grief consuming him. "I love her. Tucker loves her. Her parents love her. Her grandmother loved her -"

"Loved?" Ember repeated. "As in, doesn't love her anymore?"

"Her grandmother died last year from a stroke -"

"That's when I started noticing the scars," Ember said. "Yeah, around...like, March of last year. Right?" Danny nodded slowly, his fists still resting against his scalp. "Kid, she's _grieving_. This is the only way she knows how to find a little relief."

"She could have talked to me," Danny moaned. "I would've listned, I would've_ helped_..."

"Do you know her _at all?_" Ember asked bluntly. Danny winced. "She's not that type. Jesus, I've never had a conversation with her, never even spoken directly _to_ her, and I know her better than you. She doesn't go complaining about her problems. She bottles them up. Just like me."

He mumbled incoherantly about how he wished he had never had a conversation with Ember, to which she responded with a dramatic roll of her eyes so similar to Sam that Danny's heart ached for a moment. "Fine. Don't believe me. But next time you see her, look at her right arm. Really _look_. I think you'll be surprised."

"She's in a coma," His voice was hushed with fear, making him feel like a frightened five-year-old. Ember's glare softened for a moment.

"Tell you what, dipstick," She crossed her arms over her chest and rose a foot in the air. "I'll give you the night off. I'll let everyone else in the Ghost Zone know what's going on, and I'll tell them to lay off 'til this situation clears up. Deal?"

"Thank you," Danny gasped. "Thank you so much,"

"Take it easy, kid," Ember said softly. She vanished into the darkness, leaving Danny staring after her. His mind was quite literally coming unhinged at all of the information Ember had unloaded on him.

"I have to see her," He growled to himself. He started off toward the hospital, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. It was the only sound he heard; the sun was still below the horizon. The city unfolding beneath him was still fast asleep, all lights turned out, cars locked safely in garages. And there was the hospital beneath him. Danny descended upon it in spirals, feeling a bit like a bird of prey circling its' dinner. He stopped outside Sam's window, staring at his reflection in the darkened glass.

His green eyes were wild, his face flushed. His hair stuck up in all directions, giving him the appearance of having just stumbled off a particularly fast roller coaster. He could see his muscles rippling as he attempted to release some of the tension in his body, to no avail. He swallowed hard.

_It's now or never_, he thought as he ghosted through the glass.

* * *

><p><strong>To Write Love On Her Arms.<strong>

**That is all.**

**I'm going to be serious now, so if you're not in the mood for seriousness...what in the world are you doing reading this story? O.o crazy people.**

**If you are cutting yourself, please read this. Hear me out. Okay? Okay.**

_**Stop.**_

__**Please. _Stop._ You are destroying yourself.**

**I don't care how bad your situation is. It _will_ get better. I promise you. _It will get better._**

**I know.**

**I was there.**

**I wish someone told me what I am telling you right now.**

_**I swear to God, it will get better. **_**People care about you. Someone somewhere cares about you. Someone would miss you if you were gone.**

**Cutting yourself is _not_ the way to find out who those people are. Hurting yourself in any way is not the way to find out who those people are. That's not fair to them, and it's definitely not fair to you.**

**Don't let your situation control you. You're strong. You're beautiful. Okay? Okay.**

**Why are you telling yourself that this is all you are? That this is all you will ever be? It's _lies. LIES._ YOU ARE SO MUCH MORE. YOU WERE MADE FOR _SO MUCH MORE._**

**The days are going to come when you feel alone. Like you don't have the strength to carry on. Pray. Fight. You are _more_ than what is hurting you.**

**It is _nothing_ in the shadow of the cross.**

**You are beautiful to Him. After all, you're the one He loved enough to die.**

**You are _treasured. _You are _sacred._ You are _His._ You're beautiful.**

**"Before you ever took a breath, long before the world began, of all the wonders He possessed, there was one more prescious. Of all the earth and skies above, you're the one He madly loved enough to die." - Beautiful by MercyMe.**

**You ****are:**

**Beautiful. Wonderful. Worth it. **

**Don't you forget it.**

**- Tori**


	7. Chapter 7

**I haven't been on since February.**

**Sad day.**

**So I have done my very best to compact my excuse to one single word:**

**College.**

**And that's pretty much the STORY OF MY LIFE. Right now, at least.**

**So, yeah. I'm almost done. One essay left to write, which I will be doing...tomorrow.**

**Procrastinators, assemble!**

**...eh.**

**Hm. So. This is chapter seven and stuff. When you guys get done here, go read the new "story" I posted called _This Crazy Little Thing Called Life_. There is some mouy importante information inside of there that you guys needs to reads.**

**Unless you don't like me. In which case, why are you reading this story? Questionable choice, my friend (:**

**Okay so I don't own anything. I'm sitting here trying to think of something I own and...I got nothing.**

**Hmph.**

* * *

><p><strong>If I Stay<strong>

**Chapter Seven**

**May 8, 2012**

* * *

><p>When Danny was a young boy, his mother would read to him and Jazz. She read all sorts of things: from current events to fanasty novels to children's books to quotes by famous people. One quote, in particular, stood out in Danny's memory:<p>

_"A fever is an expression of inner rage."_

Julia Roberts had said it. He had never really understood what it meant; when he had a fever, he felt exhaustion, not rage. As a child, he never felt rage. He felt annoyance with his sister and anger when she accidentally broke his model spaceship, but never rage.

He had come close to rage when he fought against Ember for the first time; after Sam had been forced to break his heart to break the spell. It was something similar to rage, but it wasn't quite there.

Standing in Sam's hospital room at 4:36 AM, Danny finally understood what Julia Roberts meant. The rage that seized his heart was scortching against his chest. He felt it welling up inside of him, sweat beading on his brow, heat rising in his face. Holding Sam's wrist and seeing the faintest white lines glowing against her flawless skin enraged Danny.

He was so shocked by it that he nearly collapsed. He reached blindly for his chair, falling into it heavily as he dropped Sam's arm on her bed. He sat quite still for a few minutes, staring at the tiled floor without really seeing anything, unable to form a coherent thought.

_Ember was right._

_Sam's been hurting herself._

_It wasn't an accident._

_Sam tried to kill herself._

_I need to see her._

_Now._

Danny snapped his head back up. He lurched forward and seized Sam's hands between both of his. He closed his eyes and waited for his surroundings to shift.

"Christ. You would think that at some point you would catch a hint and just leave me _alone_."

He opened his eyes. He was standing in an empty room, several feet away from Sam. She leaned against a stark white wall, glaring at him. But her anger was nothing compared to what he was feeling.

"Shut up." He snapped. She cocked an eyebrow. "I am _not_ in the mood to hear you bitch at me right now."

"Then why are you here? Isn't that what this is? You call me here so I can yell at you and make you feel like the victim in this situation, since that's what you always are -"

"I said _shut up_!" He shouted. His voice was deep, rooted in his belly. Sam froze. "I am..._God_, I am _so_ mad at you right now..."

"_You're_ mad at _me_? _You_?" She said incredulously.

"Yes!" He said loudly.

"What on _earth_ did I do to you?"

"It's not what you did to _me_. It's what you've been doing to yourself."

He could see the color drain from her face. Her anger evaporated immediately. "I don't know what you're talking about," She whispered.

"Allow me to enlighten you." Danny said sarcastically. "I found them. Earlier. Your scars." She dropped her eyes to the floor and grabbed her right wrist with her left hand in a feeble attempt to cover the scars in question. "You've been doing this to yourself for over a year."

"Why do you care?" She shouted defensively.

"Because you're my friend, I care about you. I bust my _ass_ to keep _you_ safe from those _idiotic_ ghosts that haunt our _stupid_ town, just to turn around and find out that you've been _cutting_?" He raised his hands defeatedly. "They kept trying to tell me that you did this on purpose, and I tried _so hard_ to believe that it was an accident, but -"

"You think I did this on _purpose_?" Sam screamed, all embarrassment gone. "You think I _wanted_ to get hit by a car?"

"I do now, yeah!" Danny shouted back. "Do you have any idea how much _shit_ you've gotten Tucker into?"

"What does Tucker have to do with this?" Her voice was higher than Danny had ever heard it before. "We're talking about how _you_ think I tried to _kill_ myself that night!"

"You don't know who hit you?" He asked quietly. She shook her head. "Sam...it was Tucker,"

She covered her mouth with both of her hands. "No," She moaned from behind them. "No, no, no, no, no..."

Danny was torn. He desperately wanted to reach out to her and comfort her, but at the same time he wanted to strangle her for being so stupid. "He's gonna be tried in court. Reckless driving for sure, and if you...don't pull through, involuntary manslaughter. You really didn't know it was him?"

"I knew there was a car coming, I didn't know who was driving!" She turned away and ran a hand through her hair. "God, no _wonder_ he looked so familiar...I remember seeing his face, I just...I didn't...I was in so much pain, I couldn't..."

"You just said you knew there was a car coming," Danny said numbly. Sam turned sharply, her face hard. "You knew there was a car coming. You stepped out in front of it anyways."

"Yes. I did."

"Why?"

Sam was silent. She merely stared at him.

"I have nothing more to say to you," Danny said quietly. He stumbled backwards, feeling a solid wall against his back. "I...God. Goodbye, Sam."

"Megan Ryan." She called quietly.

"What?"

"Megan Ryan. Meg. You know? She's in our history class. She sits next to me."

"What about her?"

"She's the reason I was in the street."

Danny stared at her blankly. "I don't understand."

"I wasn't trying to kill myself that night. I was mad, I was humiliated, I was hurt. But I wasn't trying to kill myself. I was on my way home when I saw Meg...and I knew the look on her face. I'd seen it on people's faces before, and the bookstores I go to. They show up with that look, and the next day, they aren't there anymore. The owners don't like to talk about it. But I know the look, I know the body language. Meg had it all. I saw the headlights of a car...I had no idea it was Tucker's car...but I saw the headlights of a car in Meg's face, and I saw her stepping out into the road. It was just...instinct. I guess I've been hanging out with you too much. I jumped into the road and pushed her out of the way. I didn't even really process what was happening until right before I passed out. I saw Meg skip out before the ambulances got there, I was trying to tell...Tucker, I guess, but I didn't realize it was him at the time...that it was Meg, to go to Meg..." Her voice trailed. Tears were welling in her eyes. "It wasn't his fault. He didn't do anything wrong."

"Wrong place at the wrong time..." Danny muttered.

"Talk to Meg. Convince her to tell the police what really happened. Tucker doesn't deserve this." She said firmly. Danny nodded. "And...Danny?" He had turned to walk away. He paused and turned his head a fraction of an inch. "I'm...I'm sorry. About not telling you."

He stood for a moment longer, before nodding his head a fraction of an inch. "We'll talk about this after you wake up." He murmured. "Right now, I have to help Tucker."

"I understand. Oh, and, just so you know, I'm still mad at you."

The corner of his mouth twitched as he walked away. "And I'm still mad at you."

* * *

><p><strong>THEY'RE ALMOST SORT OF HALF-WAY KIND OF MAKING UP RIGHT NOW!<strong>

**YAY!**

_**This Crazy Little Thing Called Life.**_

**Go read it.**

**Naow.**


	8. Chapter 8

**And I am _done_ with my freshman year of college!**

**Woo!**

**I just want to apologize again for being soooo late in updating this. Things have been a little crazy, and they're getting crazier with each passing day. But crazy in a good way, for once! :D**

**Um, so, I know y'all are probably uber mad at me for not updating like a proper author, but I have a teensy little favor to ask you.**

**I set up a poll on my profile page. I would love love love you if you went and voted. It takes about ten seconds, and then you can move on. It would be a tremendous help to something I'm working on.**

**Thank you (:**

**H'okay. I don't own DP or HP.**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

><p><strong>If I Stay<strong>

**Chapter Eight**

**May 12, 2012**

* * *

><p>Danny could hardly wait to talk to Tucker the next morning. He tried to sleep when he returned home, but he was positively bristling with energy, so he resorted to pacing the length of his room. When his alarm clock went off at 7:00 AM, he seized his phone and dialed Tucker's number.<p>

"It's seven in the morning, what could you possibly want from me?" Came Tucker's groggy voice from the other line.

"I went to see Sam last night," Danny said.

"Why?" Danny could hear his friend moving around; likely sitting up with sudden awareness.

"It's kind of a long story. I'll tell you about that later, but I talked to her again. And she told me something that could help you get out of going to jail."

Danny was met with silence. "What do you mean?" Tucker asked slowly.

"I mean, I know why Sam was out in the road that night."

"...And you think it's going to help me get out of having to go to prison?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright, I wanna know everything. Start from the beginning."

And Danny did. From the moment he awoke to Ember's attacks, to his talk with the ghost in the park, to his unpleasant discovery. Tucker did not seemed as surprised as Danny was upon finding out; he merely said, "I had a feeling...I should have said something..." Danny muttered something about how Tucker should have slapped her, before describing his rage upon seeing the scars themselves.

"So when I...slept, I guess? I dunno... When I saw her, I was so angry with her, I just blew up. I was screaming at her about how stupid she was, and how I thought that she probably had been out in the street to kill herself that night. Then she got mad because I believed that, and then I yelled that she had gotten you in a ton of trouble. Turns out she didn't actually know it was you who hit her,"

"What did she say when she found out?" Tucker's voice rang with alarm.

"She felt awful. She almost started crying. She's not mad at you, dude. She feels terrible for you, actually."

"I'll take guilty over mad _any_ day of the week. Anyways, you were saying..."

"Right," Danny ran his fingers through his hair. "As I was leaving, she told me she ran out in the street because she was trying to save Megan Ryan."

"Who?"

"Megan Ryan. Meg. Come on, she's in our physics class, she has the same history class as me and Sam."

"Not ringing a bell."

"Oh come on! Meg, she sits next to Eileen Berg! You stare at them every day."

"...oh, actually...Oh! Oh my God!" Danny could hear Tucker slapping himself on the forehead. "The blonde chick, right? She was there! She was in the road with Sam when I got out of my car! She ran off before the ambulance got there, but I remember her!"

"Well, turns out that it was actually Meg who was trying to kill herself. Sam sacrificed herself to save Meg. Sam thinks that if we can convince Meg to confess to trying to kill herself, you won't be in any trouble. Because it's definitely not your fault that Meg dived into the street and Sam dived in after her,"

Distantly, Danny heard Tucker's mom calling for him up the staircase. "I gotta go, We'll talk more at school," Tucker said quickly. Danny heard him screaming a reply at his mother before the line went dead.

When Danny arrived at school ten minutes later, he was greeted almost immediately by a frenzied Tucker. "I've been looking for Meg everywhere, but I can't find her!"

"Calm down. We don't want to bombard her first thing in the morning," Danny hitched his backpack, which was slung over one shoulder, higher up on his back. "It'll put her off. We need to be calm and rational about this,"

"I don't _wanna_ be calm and rational!" Tucker exclaimed. "I wanna _prove_ that I'm not a wreckless driver, I want _Meg_ to apologize, and for the love of all that is good and technological in this world,_ I want Sam to wake up_!"

"I know," Danny said soothingly. He slapped his hand on Tucker's shoulder and squeezed, directing him toward the entrance of the school. "I do, too. But we have to be willing to take this slow if you even want a chance of any of that happening."

"I still think this is all just a dream," Tucker muttered wistfully.

"'It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget how to live.'" Danny quoted. Tucker shot him a sideways grin.

"Harry Potter?" He quipped.

"Harry Potter," Danny confirmed.

"Gotta love Sam's secret nerdiness," Tucker sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Danny dropped his gaze to the tiled floors of the hallways; they had entered the school, and were now attempting to manouver through the crowded hallways. It seemed to be a bit easier, as of late. As if the other students knew what had befallen the third member of their trio, and suddenly became physically repelled by them when they passed. The first day it happened, Danny stared at them in confusion, just to be met with sympathetic gazes, and he realized that they were giving him so much space because they believed that he needed it. In truth, it only made him feel all the more alienated. He refused to look up after that.

"Remember when we spent all day baking cookies for her birthday? And when we surprised her the next morning, she said she didn't like cinnamon?" Tucker laughed. "I wanted to throw them out the window, but Sam couldn't stop laughing..."

"Yeah," Danny chuckled at the memory. Sam had been doubled over in her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks, gasping for air while Tucker had gone on a rampage with the cookies. "She told me she found one lodged between her bed and the wall the other day,"

"Damn," Tucker muttered. "I've got a pretty good arm when I'm pissed,"

They were stopped at Danny's locker. He was rummaging through his things when something caught his eye. He turned and felt his heart skip a beat when he realized that Megan Ryan had just entered the building. She was heading directly toward them.

"Tuck, there. Meg's there, she's coming this way!" Danny slammed his locker shut as Tucker scrambled forward. He leapt directly in front of Megan.

"Meg!" He said loudly. She cringed. "Sorry, sorry, I just...uh...I..."

"Do I know you?" Meg said.

Tucker blinked. "I'm...I'm Tucker. I'm in physics with you...I sit two rows back from you..."

"Sorry..." She said awkwardly. She attempted to sidestep around Tucker, nearly running directly into Danny as she did.

"Meg, we know you were there," Danny said quietly.

"I don't know what your talking about." Meg said through gritted teeth. She slipped around Danny and disappeared into the crowd just as the bell for first period rang.

"She so _does_ know!" Tucker said angrily. "She's lying!"

"We both already know that," Danny sighed, heading toward his first period class. Tucker stomped along beside him. "The trick is convincing her to tell."

"I don't understand why she won't!" Tucker huffed.

"I don't, either," Danny muttered. He turned to face Tucker abruptly. "I'll work on it during history. I'll tell you what happens during lunch,"

Tucker agreed and split off to go to his first period. Danny fidgeted through the hour, alternating between tapping his pencil incessantly against his notebook and carefully etching Sam's face in the margins of his notebook paper. Second period passed in a similar fashion.

When Danny entered his history classroom at the beginning of third period, his heard gave a familiar ache at the sight of Sam's empty desk. He sighed and shuffled forward into his seat, trying not to glance at the emptiness of the spot to his left. He slouched down and waited for the rest of his class to file in, moodily twisting his pencil between his fingers.

When Megan entered the room, Danny instantly dropped his pencil and sat up straight in his chair. She glanced at him once before sliding into the seat on the opposite side of Sam's empty desk. She refused to look at him again.

_Come on...look at me. Meg. Meg. Megan. MEGAN. Look look look look look look look at me! Look at me. Look at me. Megan, look at me._

She glanced at him, her annoyance obvious in her eyes. "Stop _staring_ at me!" She hissed.

"I need to talk to you!" Danny whispered back.

"I already told you, I don't know what you're talking about, okay? I wasn't there!"

"You don't even know what I'm talking about!" Danny whispered triumphantly. "Please, just talk to me! Tucker needs your help, Meg, he's gonna be in a lot of trouble if you don't tell someone!" Meg narrowed her eyes at him, before turning toward the front and raising her hand.

"Yes, Miss Ryan?" The teacher said.

"I'm having a hard time seeing the board, can I move up?"

"Of course, dear."

Meg gathered her things and moved without so much as a backwards glance at Danny.

When the bell had rung releasing them to fourth period, Meg was the first one out the door. Danny watched her go, feeling defeated. He pulled his phone out and texted Tucker, asking him to meet in the courtyard again.

"Did you get anywhere with Meg?" Tucker asked excitedly when he bounded through the doors.

"No," Danny said, squinting at Tucker in the sunlight. "She actually moved desks to get away from me."

Tucker made a frustrated grunt. "How do we get her to confess?" He asked desperately.

"I don't know. But I think I know someone who does,"

"Who?"

"Sam," Danny shrugged.

* * *

><p><strong>Really super lame ending.<strong>

**I am sorry.**

**Okay I really really really want you guys to read the note I published on here the other day. Crazy thing called life I think. Please read it. It has important information inside, and if you are a fan of my writing (I still can't believe people like my stuff...HA! Crazy!) you will want to check it out. It's sort of bitter-sweet news. :)**

**Oh and please don't forget about that poll on my profile!**

**And if you're really bored, you might as well leave a review...you know, since you're already here. I mean, come on! Look at that nifty new review button! Doesn't it look like it would be fun to press?**

**You know it does ;)**

**- Tori**


	9. Chapter 9

**Grumble grumble grumble excuse about why I haven't been here grumble sorry grumble grumble.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

><p><strong>If I Stay<strong>

**Chapter Nine**

**August 12, 2012**

* * *

><p>"Aw, man..." Tucker whined. He was standing at the far end of Sam's hospital room, his back flush against the wall, looking everywhere but at Sam. "This was a bad, <em>bad<em> idea..."

"Tuck," Danny breathed quietly from Sam's side. "You haven't seen her since the accident."

"I know," Tucker's voice was high and just barely louder than a whisper. "I can't...I can't see her and...know that...I caused it."

Danny grimaced. "Tucker..."

"I know. She doesn't blame me. But still. You don't understand what it's like to look at someone who's hurt and know that you are the only reason they're that way."

Danny swallowed. Tucker was right; thankfully, Danny did not know that feeling. He glanced down at Sam's comatose face. Oxygen still puffed through the tubes in her nose rhythmically. Danny swallowed again.

"You don't have to come over here," Danny offered. Tucker looked as if he could collapse. "Just watch the door. Make sure no one comes in here."

Tucker nodded before tilting his head back to rest against the wall. Danny could see his adam's apple bobbing as the boy swallowed.

Danny gazed back down at Sam. He claimed his usual spot, scooping her hand up in his easily. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to lull his body to sleep.

"Two times in less than twelve hours? People are gonna start talking, you know."

She was sitting on the ground in the shadow of a tree perched at the very top of a grassy hill. Danny climbed the slope easily and sat beside her, mirroring her pose by drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He could feel her watching his face, but he refused to make eye contact with her.

"Did something happen?" She prompted him. He shrugged. "You're gonna have to talk to me at some point, you know," Her annoyance was thinly veiled.

"I tried to talk to Meg," Danny said, staring out over the field they sat in the middle of. "She wouldn't admit she was there."

"What did you say to her?" Sam asked slowly. Danny glanced at her and noted that she was also gazing across the field.

"Oh, I don't know..." Danny mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just, you know...I told her that Tucker was gonna be in a lot of trouble if she didn't tell anyone..."

Sam whipped her head around and glared at him. "Let me guess, she said no and now she won't speak to you?"

Danny gaped at Sam. "How did you know?"

"You can't just..._God_, you don't _get_ it!" Sam closed her eyes and shook her head. "She isn't ever going to tell anyone if you approach it like that."

"But it's the truth!" Danny cried indignantly. "Tucker could go to jail if Meg doesn't -"

"Meg doesn't give a _shit_ if Tucker goes to jail or not!" Sam shouted. She scrambled to her feet so that she was towering over Danny and crossed her arms over her chest. "She doesn't. And she probably doesn't really give a shit if I live or not, either."

"Why the hell not?" Danny demanded, getting to his feet as well. "She's ruining Tucker's _life_ and possibly letting you die in vain if she doesn't tell!"

Sam flinched when he yelled _'die,'_ but she held her ground. "Meg doesn't know us. She doesn't know you. All she knows is that she tried to kill herself, and we got in her way."

"It should be _her_ in the hospital bed right now..." Danny growled, glaring down at the ground. His head snapped back up, however, at Sam's sharp intake of breath.

"You should be ashamed of yourself." She said, her voice low. She pointed at his heart, glaring daggers. "She won't ever admit to anything if that's how you feel about her."

"You can't deny that it's true!" Danny shouted, shame welling in his chest. "If I'd kept my gigantic mouth shut, you wouldn't have left. She would have jumped out there and gotten hit and none of this would be happening right now!"

"You're so _selfish_!" Sam screamed. "It still would have been Tucker that hit her, only he'd have _no proof_ that she did it on purpose! Jesus Christ, Danny! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU!" Danny roared, veins bulging in his neck. Sam blinked in shock, her wide eyes watching Danny's chest heave as he attempted to calm himself. He nearly unleashed a wail. He needed to calm down. "All I know is right now, I'm on the verge of losing you for good, and it's Meg's fault. I hate her."

"Breathe." Sam instructed him. Danny did as she said, slowly sinking back to the ground. He felt Sam settling beside him. When he was significantly calmer, Sam murmured, "It's not her fault that I did that. All of it was just me and Tucker being in the wrong place at the wrong time." She sighed and moved a little closer to Danny. He closed his eyes when he caught a whiff of her perfume. "On one level, you're right. It is her fault that I'm...I don't really know what I am at this point," Danny glanced at her and was a little surprised at the way her eyes glossed over in fear. She blinked and it was gone. "And it's her fault that Tucker is possibly facing jail time. And, you're right. She needs to own up to it." Sam slipped her right hand into Danny's left and squeezed. Danny felt a surging warmth race up his arm and directly hit his heart. "But what you need to understand is that she has a reason behind doing what she did that night."

Danny was staring at their hands. "What do you mean?" He asked slowly, watching the way her thumb moved in a gentle caress over the back of his own thumb.

"Something in her life has caused her so much pain that she believes the only way to fix it is by taking herself out of the equation all together." Danny looked up and noticed Sam's expression. Grief surged through the back of her eyes. "You need to approach her that way. Try to understand why she did it, and then _show_ her that you understand. That you're sympathetic. You're more likely to gain her trust that way. And when she trusts you, she'll confess."

Danny chewed on the inside of his cheek. He turned his head to his right and blinked back the tears that suddenly sprang up in his eyes. "I don't know if I can be sympathetic with her." He admitted, his voice shaking. "Not when I know what your body looks like right now."

Sam pulled her hand from his grasp. Danny turned to find her staring at her knees. She was blinking rather rapidly, a few stray tears dripping from her chin. "Fine. Don't be sympathetic. But you have to act like you are. For Tucker."

_Danny!_

Danny stared up at the sky. He could have sworn he heard Tucker's voice emmitting from the branches of the tree. He glanced at Sam. She was wiping her face with the back of her hand, her eyes also on the branches. "Tucker's there?" She asked, voice thick with tears.

Danny nodded. "I made him come with me...he hasn't wanted to come since..."

Sam grimaced. "Is it really that bad?"

"You're in pretty bad shape." Danny muttered, pain welling in his chest.

_Danny, dude, wake up! Seriously, right now!_

"I should go," Danny stood and offered a hand to Sam. She accepted and allowed him to pull her to her feet, before pulling her hand from his and stepping away rather awkwardly.

"Remember, sympathy." Sam said, shoving her hands in her pockets and taking a few backwards steps away from Danny. He nodded, watching her go. When she was half-way down the hill, Danny closed his eyes.

"Danny!" Danny's eyes snapped open. He was back in the hospital room. Tucker was at his side, shaking his shoulder frantically.

"I'm up, I'm up." He muttered, straightening up and rubbing his eyes. "What's going on? Is someone coming?"

"No!" Tucker said, his voice laced with excitement. "You were asleep so I went around to Sam's other side and I was just kind of watching her and then all of a sudden...her hand moved!"

"_What_?"

"I swear! Her right hand moved!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's chapter ten.**

**I wanted to clarify a few things:**

**1. They are juniors in high school.**

**2. They only have six class periods.**

**That's all, really.**

**Thanks for reading. (:**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

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><p><strong>If I Stay<strong>

**Chapter Ten**

**August 22, 2012**

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><p>Danny stared down at Sam's motionless figure, holding his breath. Tucker was still whispering excitedly behind Danny, bouncing on the balls of his feet at Sam's improvement.<p>

"...means I might not go to jail after all!" Tucker finished, closing his eyes and clapping his hands together. Danny turned to face his friend sharply, feeling a familiar edge in his eyes.

"You're not going to jail no matter what happens here." Danny said shortly. Tucker immediately stopped bouncing, the grin wiped off his face. "While I was under, I talked to Sam a bit more about Meg. I think I know what we did wrong."

"What did we do wrong?" Tucker asked, looking offended.

Danny rolled his eyes and turned back to Sam. "We didn't try to sympathize," He said softly. He rubbed her lower arm absently, staring at her face. "We - I, mostly - didn't try to understand why Meg did what she did. We just told her that people would get hurt if she didn't tell someone."

"Well, it's the truth." Tucker grumbled. "Not that it would help Sam much, but...you know. I don't want to go to jail."

Danny bit back the urge to roll his eyes again. "We need to approach Meg differently." He said, still staring at Sam. "I think if we can get her to trust us, she'll be more likely to tell someone about what actually happened."

Tucker huffed and Danny turned to face him. Danny was shocked to find Tucker's eyes swimming in tears. "I hate hospitals." He muttered, wiping his face furiously.

"Hey, man," Danny stood and took Tucker's shoulder's comfortingly. "Everything's gonna be okay, alright? I'm figuring out how to talk to Meg, and Sam's there to help us, too."

"Yeah, but what happens if she isn't there anymore?" Tucker asked, refusing to meet Danny's eye.

Danny tightened his grip on Tucker's shoulders, the fleeting feeling of clinging to a life raft fogging his thoughts. "We can't afford to think like that, dude. Besides, you said you just saw her move, and that's an improvement."

"Yeah...I guess..." Tucker trailed.

"Stop overthinking things. Let's just take this one step at a time. Baby steps."

Tucker nodded and looked up, offering Danny a watery grin. "You're right." His grin faltered as his brow furrowed. "Can we get out of here now?"

"Yeah."

"Did she know I was there just now?" Tucker asked as Danny flew them back to the school.

"She heard you trying to wake me up," Danny said, keeping his eyes on the horizon.

Tucker was silent for a moment. "She's still not mad?

Danny chuckled. "No, man. She's not mad. I think she felt bad that I forced you to go to the hospital."

"Yeah. I felt bad, too." Tucker grumbled, earning a snort from Danny.

Danny lowered their bodies to the earth outside of the school, setting Tucker down on his feet carefully before dropping to the ground beside him and transforming back to Fenton. He stretched his back as they walked slowly back up the steps to the front doors.

"What period are we in?" Tucker asked as they traipsed down the empty hallways. Danny glanced at the clock, which read 1:27 PM.

"Fifth?" Danny said uncertainly.

"That's physics..." Tucker said. They exchanged a look before sprinting toward the classroom on the second floor.

Danny was the first one to scramble through the door, with Tucker on his heels. The teacher, Mrs. Davensport, was a young woman fresh out of college. She glanced up at them curiously from the board, but did not pause her lecture. Danny and Tucker shuffled to the back of the classroom wordlessly, ignoring the stares from their fellow classmates.

Megan sat one row to Danny's left, and up a row, so that he could only see her back. Her shoulders were tense, as if it was taking every muscle in her body to refuse to turn around to stare at them. Her lab partner, Eileen, was leaning away from her fearfully. Danny could only guess the look Meg had on her face at that moment.

"How're we gonna do this?" Tucker whispered as they pulled their physics binders from their backpacks. Danny tapped his pencil on the desk, furrowing his brow.

"I don't think it's gonna work if we both try to talk to her at the same time." He muttered from the corner of his mouth. "It has to be just one of us."

"You do it." Tucker said quickly, glancing at the board and jotting down notes. "I suck at girls. And words."

"Hello? Have you forgotten that because of what I said, Sam is now in a coma?" Danny hissed, copying Tucker's notes. "I'm not exactly the best at words or girls either."

"That's because you're clueless..." Tucker sang under this breath. Danny kicked at his legs under the table, which Tucker dodged easily. "Just talk to her during the lab."

"Wait, we have a lab today?" Danny asked. Tucker peered at him over the rims of his glasses, before shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

"How do you function?" He muttered. He pulled a vaguely-familiar-looking packet from his binder and slapped it down on the table between them. "We're working on light refraction today. Remember?"

Danny stared at the packet blankly. "Was that the one that Sam was supposed to help us with?"

Pain washed through Tucker's eyes. "Yeah." He said quietly, dropping his gaze back to his notes.

Danny nodded. He remembered now, of course.

Once the class was released back to the lab half of the classroom, Danny and Tucker took care to ensure that they shared a lab desk with Eileen and Meg. Tucker, of course, decided to distract Eileen by creepily flirting with her, leaving Danny and Meg alone on the opposite end of the desk. Meg spared him one disparaging glance, before she became absorbed in the assignment.

Danny watched her working furtively, trying to appear as into the assignment as she was. He noted the way her hands shook when she lifted the laser pointer. When she scooped the crystals off of the counter, he noticed several long, thin, pale scars that wound up her left arm.

Scars that were eerily similar to Sam's.

"Let me help," Danny murmured, leaning across the table and grabbing several smaller crystals. Meg stiffened, but said nothing. "Meg, look -"

"Stop it. I'm _not_ gonna say what you want me to say, so _give up_." She snarled. Danny felt a wave of fury rise in his chest, but he pushed it down.

"That's not what I was gonna ask," He said softly. Meg narrowed her eyes in disbelief. "Look, I wanted to apologize for acting the way I did earlier. I just...I'm just stressed out, is all."

Meg's expression was unreadable. Danny shifted nervously, suddenly feeling as if he was under a microscope. Meg dropped her gaze to the table, twisting her fingers together nervously. She glanced back up at Danny. "S'okay." She muttered.

The atmosphere at their end of the desk was much less tense after that. Danny did not dare bring up the accident or Meg's scars for fear of losing the ground he gained that day. They worked together in near silence, only pausing once to laugh at Eileen, who "accidentally" blinded Tucker with the laser pointer when he moved in for a kiss.

When the bell rang to release the class, Meg did not dart for the door. Instead, she stood and slowly gathered her things, offering Danny a small smile before turning and leaving. Danny watched her go, torn between the fury he felt when speaking to Sam and sadness at seeing Meg's scars. He wondered how many other people in his life had them, how many others whose pain he'd been obvlivious to.

Tucker appeared at his side, still rubbing his irratated eyes. "Get anywhere?" He asked.

Danny shrugged. "I think so," He said as they exited the classroom, walking slowly to avoid the mob of students rushing to their last class. "She's no where near telling me anything, but...I think she trusts me a little more."

"That's good," Tucker murmured, eyeing a gaggle of seniors shoving a freshman into a locker warily. "Baby steps."

"Yeah," Danny mumbled, wincing when the jocks slammed the locker shut and guffawed loudly. "Baby steps."


End file.
